Twins: The Snowman & El Diablo
by xxangelxxdemonxx
Summary: Brian O'Conner has a twin sister. She became Verone's driver before Brian/Rome/Feds get involved. How will they manage to get out of this one? And if things aren't bad enough, everyone from LA decides to show up right before game time. Everyone says deal with the emotions now, but they know emotions can't be involved when your betting for everyone. Verone/OC Eventually Brian/Mia
1. Chapter 1: BlueGreen Contrast

Rayleigh O'Conner

Age: 22

Height/Weight: 5'8 / 103lbs

Hair/Eye Color: Strawberry Blonde / Green

**Set Post The Fast and The Furious and Pre 2 Fast 2 Furious**Will loosely follow the movies**

* * *

Rayleigh had just gotten off the phone with her twin, Brian. He was in trouble, again, and from what she could tell from the cryptic phone message, it was over a girl. Wow what a shocker! Brian O'Conner was in trouble over a girl, yet again. He was making his way to Miami, but it would take him around three months to get here. He planned to take his time and be seen across the northern USA then be seen crossing into Canada, after this little stunt he would crash dive all the way to her houseboat.

The twins were extremely different but at the same time if someone really looked, really, really looked; they would see that for all the differences they had, they were pretty much the same person, except perhaps their views on cars. Brian was an import guy. The tuners are what he loves: Skyline, Supra or the Mitsubishi Eclipse that Johnny Tran blew up. But Rayleigh doesn't have a preference. Being a girl, looks of the car were just as important as what was under the hood; be it muscle or import.

However, Rayleigh, unlike her brother, knew how to keep her car in one piece. She even had a warehouse that she stored all her cars and her associates' cars. She had her racing cars a white '69 RS Camaro with two red strips down the middle, and a blue '67 Shelby GT 500 Mustang, both classic muscle cars but she also had imports she raced: '00 Honda Civic and a '95 Nissan 240SX. But her pride and joy, that she raced with the most often was her 2012 Lamborghini Aventador, which she had to put a lot of TLC into, not to mention green, to get it to racing shape. Her everyday driving car was a 2011 Nissan Pathfinder. No one would ever make her for a street racer in that grey SUV. Her cars are where she spent most of her money, and she made plenty. Between racing and the occasional money run across the border for the cartel, she wasn't hurting.

She had made her last run across the border last month after graduation. She had met the son of a cartel leader during the fall of sophomore year at the University of Texas. They had become friends, but Rayleigh would say they were "school friends," the kind you associate with at school but never hang out with outside of campus. That was until they bumped into each other at the local street race. Mateo Sanchez, the cartel boss's son, was the man who set up the races. The races were used to recruit new drivers every month. Mateo was highly impressed by Rayleigh's driving, so he informed his dad about her.

Rayleigh took the job on the condition she would always know exactly what was in her car. Most drivers only made the trip once, but Rayleigh was able to make the once a month trip for three years. The police never suspected her and the cartel learned why she had the nickname Diablo. Her daredevil stunts won her the respect of the cartel. The fact that Mateo had a crush helped some too. She would have still be making runs if it wasn't for her brother calling a month ago to tell her about his situation and asking for her advice.

Casimiro, Mateo's dad, had immediately understood her situation and let her leave with no ill will. He even gave her a number of his nephew to call. He would have all the info and help she would need to get settled in Miami, and the best part was he was not connected to the cartel. "Mi hija you are always welcomed aquí. Y ayuda está aquí siempre," *were Caimiro's parting words.

Through the nephew, she had gotten a job at Tej's garage, a place to stay, and since her new boss ran the street race scene, she had a way into it too. The nephew even let her put her warehouse in his name so her cars (and extra cash she kept) would be safe.

The first month was the hardest. Between setting up the warehouse, hiding her huge amount of cash, and adjusting from a relatively large studio apartment to a medium sized house boat, it was stressful. But the hardest was learning to trust Tej, Suki, and Jimmy. Rayleigh was never one for new people, but after the first street race, they were good in her book.

Rayleigh had just finished getting ready for the night. She had on black jeggings with a green flowy tank top that stopped right at the top of the jeggings in the front and hung loose over her butt. She had a white wife beater under it to cover more skin and paired the outfit with silver converse. She let her hair hang loose and wavy. She had on several little yarn bracelets on her right wrist, each one stood for a promise she made herself. And she had her rose gold watch on her left wrist. One of the only big ticket items she's ever bought that wasn't a car.

Rayleigh knew she would need to make arrangements for her brother to crash with her, but she still had two months to fix up the houseboat just a little, but right now she needed to leave if she was going to make the races tonight.

* * *

Carter Verone the A-typical bad boy of the Miami scene. At age 25 he ran a successful import/export company, four night clubs, and had a hand in most of the underground criminal activity. He collected fees from the street races, and the drug money was sent to him. Now he wasn't a drug dealer, or a drug lord for that matter. He just had several successful businesses that could be used to launder the money then wire it to off shore accounts for the cartels. But that brings him back to his current bad mood.

The feds were cracking down on people, especially people who were assumed to have ties to the drug world, which used off shore accounts or even just came in contact with them. For the past few days, all of his _not-so-legal_ banking accounts had been slowly emptied until they were closed. He would have lost millions to account freezes if he didn't have people on the inside to warn him that the feds had drawn a big bull's eye around him. He would have to resort to using drivers to carry the money to a drop, which would be a pain in itself.

He had just went over his options with some of his 'business partners,' or employees, whichever way they viewed themselves was fine with him. Either way, he was the one paying them. He had downed a bottle of Champaign by himself, now he set in the back of his Cadillac Escalade, not even feeling the effects of the alcohol, but had a growing migraine from the stress of the past couple of days. Normally the VIP section at Pearl was where he relaxed, but he had just left there and feels like he was just left from prison or the dentist. Both were equally painful in his opinion, considering he had never been to either. He just wanted to relax and forget the stress, and stay out of the limelight. A street race would be the perfect opportunity. The people would focus on the drivers, he could focus on the drivers and people watch, one of his favorite past times. Plus set up a meeting with Tej to pick out a few drivers for a little test he had for the money drops. _Yes that's sounds just perfect._

"Roberto! Enrique! Are there any races tonight?" Carter called from the backseat.

The bodyguards looked at each other. Roberto, the one driving, shrugged. He didn't really keep up with the races as much. "Yes. There is one tonight. I think they are having four heats if I'm not mistaken Señor Verone." Enrique replied looking at his boss.

"Good. Let's go then." Carter said lighting a cigar.

"Have you heard about the new driver, Señor? El Diablo. She is supposed to be muy bueno. The best any one has seen in a long time. Undefeated too." Enrique questioned.

"Ah, I have heard murmurs of a racer like that. Hopefully Diablo will be there tonight and we will be able to see just what the racer is capable of doing." Verone replied thoughtfully.

* * *

Rayleigh was the third racer of the first heat to show up. She picked the far left lane to start the race. They were waiting on Dodger to show up and the others to finish blocking off the street. Tej had informed her that the scanners where all clear for the night. Budget cuts had cut the number of cops patrolling at night, and they mostly stuck near the extremely bad neighborhoods and the businesses, so tonight they shouldn't have to worry about attracting any unwanted attention since they were far enough away from both.

"Ray! Suki wants to up the buy in price tonight." Tej called as he walked over to her. "And seeing as how you are not running your Lambo again.." he trailed off looking at the blue '95 Nissan 240SX with silver flames across the bottom.

"You know I'm good for whatever, Tej." Rayleigh replied with a smirk. "And the Lambo is my baby. I've always wanted one, now I got it. It's hard to choose another car over it, but if I don't use the other cars I have they won't stay in racing shape. You know that." She added handing him the $4,000.

* * *

Verone arrived to see that there were only three cars on the line. Two right next to each other a gap for another car, then the blue one, with a very pretty driver leaning on the hood. He could see Tej walking away from her counting money. He had collected the other drivers' money and was calling for someone to step up to the line when the last driver flew in to a screeching stop.

* * *

"I'm here! I'm here!" Dodger yelled climbing from his car. "Here's my tres y cinco." He said handing over a wad of cash to Tej.

"Na my man. Its cuatro or bounce off the line." Tej said.

Rayleigh watched as the two men went back and forth about the change in fee. She smirked knowing that Dodger would pay, he always did. She scanned to crowd to see who all had made it out for the first heat. Normally she didn't run the first heat, but Tej needed a driver after someone dropped out just an hour before the race, so she jumped at the chance naturally. She saw the same ole same ole people. The bad boys, the race bunnies who were almost naked, and the couple of wannabe rich kids, everything was like usual. She had been watching these two teens shove each other over something she couldn't hear when she spotted a man she had never seen before out of the corner of her eye. He was puffing on a cigar, dressed in blue slacks with a black button up shirt tucked in, and he sported short curly brown hair. He was very hot to say the least, but Rayleigh's never been one to stare so she kept her gaze moving, but slowing slightly over him just to find him staring at her. She locked eyes for a few seconds, he smirked, and so she just cocked an eye brow, held the gaze for another second and kept scanning the crowd.

Tej called for the drivers to be ready. Rayleigh climbed into her car and started the motor. She waited as Tej pointed and asked each driver "Ready?!" When it was her turn, she revved her engine. She watched as Tej raised his arms, held them there for a millisecond, and dropped them. "GO!" All four cars took off. Everyone watched as they sped down the straight away to the first turn. Carlos was the first to reach it, followed extremely close by Rayleigh. Then Dodger and Suki were the last to round it. The crowd was cheering as they made the turn and disappeared.

* * *

Tej had been crossed to the other side to where he had spotted Verone. He counted out four thousand and handed it over to Verone when he finally reached him. "Here's your cut, 4 large. That was the buy in for this heat."

"That's a lot higher than the normal fee." Verone replied as he counted the money and handed it off to Enrique.

"Got the top four racing tonight: Dodger, Carlos, Suki, and Diablo makes for one hell of a buy in and a payout. Whoever wins will get ten stacks tonight. That's the biggest I've ever handled. And I personally hope Diablo wins." Tej said as people passed by him making their bets.

"Why? I thought you didn't care who won as long as you got paid?" Verone asked taking interest in that statement.

"Diablo gives a stack back as what she calls a 'finder's fee'." Tej replied with a smile. "She only races when I call her. Very rarely does she call for a race, but she's become so popular that people want her on the line every week, but it's hard to find people to race her."

"Ah. Interesting." Verone replied. As he turned to see the cars fly around the last turn about a mile away.

"Here they come. Carlos is ahead right now." Tej said absent mindedly walking off towards the finish line with his phone ready to tape the last seconds.

* * *

Carlos had been blocking her whole race. Taking the last turn a little too wide gave Rayleigh the advantage she needed. She pulled up beside him and shifted gears, she was running 130 mph. She could see the finish line about ¾ miles away. Carlos and she were neck and neck, trading the lead back and forth. About half a mile away, she looked over and saw Carlos smirk. "Adiós Diablo!" She watched as he hit the NOS button and flew away.

"Way too soon, Carlos. Way too soon." Rayleigh said to herself. She waited a few more seconds and hit her NOS button. She caught up with him at a quarter mile to go. She shifted one more time. '_Ten seconds. Just ten seconds and it's yours!'_ she reminded herself. She looked down to see she was doing over 190 mph. She pulled ahead by a half a car length as she flew over the finish line. She slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel to slide sideways. The crowd always loved that move.

"Your winner is El Diablo!" Tej announced. "This girl right here just won ten stacks ladies and gentleman.

"Thanks Tej." Rayleigh replied and she handed him the stack on top. "Finder's fee, bro."

"This is what you call appreciation. Some of you need to fall in line and take some lessons."

Rayleigh had walked back to her car and deposited the money in the console. She had just reappeared when a teen in a hoodie had gotten everyone's attention by yelling out. "Yo, Diablo! Where do you plan on celebrating tonight?"

She leaned on her car and looked at Tej. They both had the same thoughts '_Guess there's only one heat happening tonight.'_ Granted it was already past 11 when they started, but they normally went well into the night racing. She shrugged and silently asked Tej where to go. "Inferno!" Tej replied to the unasked question. Rayleigh smirked at the poorly hidden play on words.

She looked back to the gathering crowd that was waiting on her answer with baiting breath. "Club Inferno!" She yelled and smirked as the crowd roared and turned to leave, no doubt making their way to Inferno. She got into her car to make her way to the club also. She hasn't ever been one for drinking or socializing for that matter. But the high she had right now after that amazing race she figured she could party for an hour or two before headed home to work on the houseboat or a drawing a new design for a car she planned to purchase for her brother.

* * *

Carter smirked as he climbed into his Escalade. Inferno was one of his clubs. Not a privileged club like Club Pearl, one that was more accessible to the normal crowd. It held a dance floor, but also had pool tables in the back, with the VIP lounge on the main floor opposite the pool tables. The huge bar that made a U and connected to the back wall is what separated the VIP from the pool tables.

Carter couldn't wait to find out more about this El Diablo. He definitely thought she qualified to be one of his drivers, possibly more if he played his cards right.

"Where to boss?" Roberto asked pulling him from his thoughts.

"Let's head to Inferno. I want to see more of this El Diablo." Carter replied.

* * *

_**Word Count**__: 2,864_

**Translations:**

*_My daughter _you are always welcomed _here. And help is always here._

Señor- Mister

Muy Bien- Very Good/Well

El Diablo- The devil

Adiós-Goodbye

**I know the bodyguards mostly speak in Spanish, but it would be hard for the readers who don't know Spanish to follow along, so I try to only use a couple words/phrases that most people know. **


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting At Last

**_words in italics are thoughts**_

* * *

Rayleigh pulled up to Club Inferno and grabbed her white leather short sleeve jacket and put it on. She thought adding the jacket dressed up her look just enough for the club. She walked inside and made for the bar, but she was spotted and everyone started cheering. She had to fist bump and one-arm hug her way to the bar.

"Well, what can I get the infamous El Diablo?" Mike, the bartender, asked as he slug the towel he just wiped the bar down with over his shoulder.

"Corona." Rayleigh replied as she crossed her arms to lean forward on the bar. Mike turned to grab her beer from the tub of ice that acted as one of the counters along the wall. Rayleigh watched as his muscles stretched and contracted under his shirt with each movement. He wore an orange shirt that fit like a second skin with the word 'BARTENDER' across the shoulders with his name on his left breast. His faded blue jeans hung off his hips just right. He had his short brown hair spiked leaning slightly to the left. When he turned back around with the Corona, he saw her watching him so he lifted the edge of his shirt wrapped it around the top and twisted. He gave her a nice view of his six pack. When he leaned into the bar and passed her drink over, she met his molten honey eyes and knew she had been caught undressing him with her eyes. And that smirk he wore promised extremely sinful things.

She reached across grabbed the bottle from him, brushing his fingers with hers while never breaking eye contact and smirked back. She took a pull from the bottle still not looking away from him. "You know, I have a break in an hour if you want to dance." Mike said as he leaned closer to her across the bar.

"You got it, if I'm still here in an hour." Rayleigh said. She winks at him, turns and heads towards the pool tables. The whole club scene isn't her thing, but she does like to have a good time. She knew she would definitely stick around for that dance, and hopefully a little more. She hasn't had sex since she left Texas. Rayleigh may not be the girl that sleeps around, hell she doesn't even like one night stands, but she'd break her rules once to get a little stress relief.

Tej and Suki met her at the pool tables. "Up for a pool game?" Ray asked them.

"Girl, you know I ain't any good at this game." Suki replied. "But for the right place Tej will probably play you."

"Alright Tej, put your money where your mouth is and break." Rayleigh smirked as she grabbed her pool cue "prepare to lose your money Tej."

* * *

Carter watch from the VIP section as the girl he had eyes on at the race basically make eye love with the bartender's body. Being the possessive bastard he was, he was beyond pissed. The girl may not even know who he was, but she was in his club. She shouldn't be trying to bang the help, but him! That bartender may have an extremely buff boxer's body, but he was built like a swimmer. He could last a long time where that _thing _would probably go for the quick knock out. He knew what he wanted and he wanted it now, but he also knew not to jump in feet first without having the whole picture. So for now, he would sit back watch, brew, and plan. That girl would be his before it was said and done.

* * *

Ray had nearly taken back all the money she gave Tej in two games of pool. It wasn't her fault. Tej doesn't like to lose, and immediately called for double or nothing when Rayleigh knocked the 8 ball in the first time. She could hear Tej praying under his breath for her to miss this shot. She was lining up to sink the 8 ball for the second time. She looked over her shoulder at him, winked, and sunk the shot. "Better luck next time bro." Rayleigh smirked as she shook Tej's hand.

"Do you always have to win?" Tej said as he placed their pool cues back on the wall.

Raleigh just chuckled as she caught Mike making his way over to her. "Yeah. Hey is there anything about this Mike guy I need to know about?" She asked them as she turned back to face them.

"Nah, he's a pretty good stand up guy." Tej replied. "Why?"

"He asked for a dance and well..." Rayleigh said as she smirked his direction as he made it to the entrance to the tables and started scanning for her.

"Oh! I get it! A girl got her needs! I have never heard anything bad about him, but he is a player." Suki giggled.

"Well I'm a damn good player too." Rayleigh winked.

"You ready for that dance?" Mike asked with an extended hand.

"Yep." Rayleigh took his hand and let him lead her to the center of the dance floor. Pony by Ginuwine started to play and the few people that weren't already on the dance floor rushed to join the fun. Mike pulled her back against him by her hips and they started to grind to the beat. It didn't take a minute for someone to start grinding back into Rayleigh. By the middle of the song, everyone was grinding on everyone, like a big clothed orgy.

* * *

Carter Verone had never seen anything more appetizing in his entire life. He had to cross his legs to hide the growing hard on the sight from the dance floor was giving him. To think he had tried to get the DJ to start playing the newer stuff, like dubstep. He would have never seen **that **if the DJ had listened. The way her hips moved to the beat was way too damn sexy. The look on all the faces dancing next to her spoke volumes too. They wanted her as much as he wanted her. As the song ended, he'd thought he'd cum just by the sight of that grin on her face as she looked back at that damn bartender. She opened her mouth to speak, but he seen her look at her phone, say something to the bartender, and then head towards the door. She left. She actually left. He had sat around all night planning his move to only miss his chance at least learning her real name. Time to find Tej and talk business; he definitely wanted her to be among the racers who came by for a job.

* * *

As the song started to end, Rayleigh knew that she definitely wanted to go back to Mike's place for a round, maybe two if he could handle it. She turned grinning at him only to feel her phone vibrate in her front pocket. She pulled it out to find Frosty on the caller ID. _Damn bro, seriously bad timing. _She thought as she turned to excuse herself from Mike. _Guess I'm not getting laid tonight after all._ She headed toward the entrance of the club. As soon as she hit the outside of the club, she answered her phone.

"Hey Frost, what's up?" Rayleigh asked as she made her way to her car. The last time she had talked to her brother had been a month earlier when she finally made it to Miami.

"I'm going to meet up sooner than I thought. They got close in New York when I tried to cross the border into Quebec. I should be there in less than two weeks. I'd be there a hell of a lot sooner but I need to ditch my car," was the rushed reply from Brian before the line went dead. Well since sex was out of the question for Rayleigh, she figured she could go and finish the car she bought for Brian, and then start arranging things around in the houseboat to accommodate both of them.

* * *

"Roberto, go and invite Tej to have a drink with me. We need to discuss business." Carter called to one of his bodyguards as he lit another cigar. Carter puffed on his cigar as he watched his bodyguard fetch Tej. He mentally went over a check list of things he needed to discuss with the race organizer. The main thing was getting names for Monica to contact about the job openings he had.

While watching that racing girl at the club, he had decided that if she really was the best Miami had to offer, that he needed his own personal driver who could also lead the three man team to do the money drops. That would help with the problem he had with Monica, especially since this was one of the rare nights she was nowhere to be found; probably reporting back to Customs if he had to guess though.

She made it all too clear she was an agent. It took him some time, around two months, to figure out which agency she was with, but he smelt the honey trap as soon as she walked through the doors at Pearl. By the way she was dressed, and continues to dress, they seriously doubted his taste. He never really went for the overly provocative women; they were great for sex but not a serious relationship. Needless to say he never slept with her, even though she made it too obvious that is exactly what she wanted, but he did play with her. Dropping hints, subtle touches, standing to close or fully up inside her personal space, and his personal favorite: the butt slap, he was always rewarded the best when using this tactic.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Verone?" Tej asked respectfully.

"I need lists of the top drivers you have come across. I have three job openings to fill. First, I want a list of the top ten drivers you have with good personality and business sense. They will interview for my personal driver, and hold the leadership position in my other opening. I need a list of another ten drivers, the absolute best drivers. The ones who never stop for anything; they do not loose ever. They will interview to run extremely important errands for me." Verone finished looking at Tej. "Oh and in that first batch of driver's names, I want to see that pretty little strawberry blonde that raced tonight. I believe she goes by Diablo?"

"Rayleigh. You want Rayleigh to be your personal driver. She is damn good, but uncontrollable." Tej replied wide eyed. "She does what she wants when she wants. Plus she has money. I don't know if I can talk her into even showing up at the interview."

"You let me worry about that part. You just get me the names and numbers I want." Verone replied coolly.

"Okay Mr. Verone." Tej squeaked. He was pretty sure he just pissed the crime boss off.

"You can go now. Enjoy the rest of your night Tej." Verone waved dismissingly.

* * *

Rayleigh had just put the finishing touches on the Skyline she had purchased for her brother as the sun started to come up and her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller i.d. to find that it was a private line calling, but she answered it anyway. "Hello."

"Diablo?" questioned the woman's voice.

"Yes that's what people call me." Rayleigh replied extremely skeptical.

"I'm calling on behalf of Carter Verone. Please be at his compound at 1 o'clock this afternoon for a job interview for his personal driver. I'll text you the address in time for you to show up. Oh and bring your car; you will be racing for the job." With that the line went dead.

Rayleigh had waited long enough for the garage to be open, and then went to find Tej because he, Suki, and Jimmy were the only ones in Miami that had her contact information and knew her real name. It only took her narrowing her eyes for Tej to spill what happened last night. She naturally didn't want to go, but she also has always been the curious type. Plus she had the O'Conner 'stupid decisions' pretense to up hold. That could be why she found herself among ten other drivers parked outside Verone's compound at the moment.

* * *

Two big men and a woman had come to take them into the compound. The woman asked for their driver's license. Each one of the drivers had then been frisked by one of the bodyguards, and then they were led inside the compound by the woman with the two bodyguards pulling up the rear. The woman went to tell them why they were there. A chance to be the King of Miami's chauffeur, and a spot on a team he was putting together for another job. That struck Rayleigh's interest. She had driven her Lambo; it was her best racing car. If she wanted the answers to her questions, she knew she was going to have to win the race and accept the job.

She was pulled from her musings when the sexy well dress man from the race last night step out of the house and made his way over to the top of the three little stairs they were standing in front. "I have placed an extremely important package in one of my properties: a trailer in Riverpark Side Trailer Park to be exact. Lot 9 is where the trailer is parked. I need it back ASAP. Whichever driver gets my package back to me has a chance to work for me." He scanned the crowd of drivers in front of him coming to a stop once he reached Rayleigh, who was standing in the back, and smirked, "Now go!"

All the racers took off towards their own cars as fast as they could run. Rayleigh made it out to the highway first. The run was a thirty mile round trip. Rayleigh looked in her rearview mirror to find the closest car was five car links behind and dropping fast. Two tractor trailers and a garbage truck were blocking the three lanes in front of her, but she thought she could make it between the two big rigs, but she would have to be precise and fast about it. If she could get through the gap, then that would all but seal the deal for the other racers because they wouldn't be able to get by and get back over to make the exit ramp that was coming up in a half mile.

Rayleigh shifted gears and floored it; rocketing her way through the gap between the two trailers. She looked behind her in time to see the trucks swerve and hit trailers then straighten back out; however, closer together. She saw a yellow mustang try to make it around the trucks off the right shoulder, but it had to jerk back behind the trucks to keep from taking out the exit sign. Rayleigh took the exit without ever slowing down. The job was hers if she could keep her lead.

After taking the exit, the trailer park was only two miles away. Rayleigh slowed when she entered the park, but only marginally. She knew the other racers would not let up once they reached it. She drove through looking for lot three. It had to be in the very back, or she came in through the back entrance because lots in the 30s were on her left and lots in the 40s were on her right. She came to a fork at the end of the drive she was on, but she couldn't tell which lot numbers were on which side. That is when she saw it. The Interstate was to her left. The lots on that side couldn't be more than three turns and an on-ramp to the interstate. That would be where Verone's trailer would be.

_Of course the badass would pick a lot with the best escape route possible. _Rayleigh thought as she spotted lot 9, but there was a problem she hadn't taken the time to think about when she first pulled into the trailer park. Each lot housed around ten or so trailers. How the hell was she supposes to pick out which one belonged to Verone before the other racers caught up to her? She pulled into the lot, parked her car and got out, but left the engine running. Time to do some educated guessing.

She had seen what cartels used to house their money in, so picking out which trailer was Verone's should be a little bit easier with her past experiences. She looked at the ten trailers: the first five looked newer and nicer than the rest; those definitely didn't belong to Verone. The next three still looked in too good of a condition; they had the lived in feel to them; so cross them off the list. The last two were both run into the ground. Neither looked habitable, but the potted plants gave it away. Verone would have someone out here daily, if not multiple times a day, to check on his property; and to avoid the big red sign that said 'a wealthy business man owns this property to hide his illegal activity here' they had planted a rather nice garden by the steps, and had beautiful potted flowers in various spots on the porch to add a little lived in feel so most people would overlook the shape the trailer was in.

She casually walked up the three little steps, across the small porch to the door. It was unlocked. _Yep, this is definitely Verone's trailer. _She opened the door to see a manila envelope laying on the end table just inside the door. She picked it up and turned it over. In big red letters across the front was the word PACKAGE. _Very subtle; he must think we are all pretty stupid if he needed to make it so plain that this was the package he was talking about. _Rayleigh thought as she headed back to her car. As she closed the door she saw the other racers rounding the corner. She didn't waste any time, she floored it and within two minutes was on the highway headed back to the compound.

* * *

To say Verone was surprised to see Diablo pulling up first would be a lie. He knew she would win, but he didn't want to make it too obvious that he really wanted her to be his driver. No, that would ruin the game he wanted to play.

He spied from the safety his security system display gave him as Monica met her out front. He had changed into one of his best suits to greet her in. He had told Monica to bring her inside for an afternoon snack while they talked business. He watched as Monica led her into the compound with Roberto and Enrique following. He noticed the way she would look back every so often, just to keep a track of exactly where the two boys were at all times.

He walked into the dining room just as the other four did. "Welcome to my home and congratulations on passing the interview portion. Now that you are hired let us sit down and discuss your new job, shall we?" Verone said making his way over to Rayleigh.

* * *

**Word Count: 3,261**


	3. Chapter 3: Frost

**This chapter is a little longer than the others. I wanted to speed things up and get the story moving forward a faster rate.**

* * *

Rayleigh passed him the envelope and took his out stretched hand. "Carter Verone, but you can just call me Carter. It is nice to meet you." Carter said as he shook her hand.

"Rayleigh O'Conner. Nice to meet you too." Rayleigh replied with a smirk as she shook his hand. Brian was known as the one who kept the calm, cold outer shell during meetings like this, but Rayleigh always loved the arrogant, carefree approach. It throws your opponent off balance just as much as the iceman front does, but it makes them under estimate you, whereas people who associate with Brain tend to be a little more cautious.

"Well, I hope you are hungry. My housekeeper Isabella made a very nice spread for us as you can see. I like doing business over food. It makes the experience more relaxed so everyone is calmer." Carter said waving his hand in a manner that told Rayleigh to sit. Carter sat at the head of the table; Rayleigh took the seat to his left, more or less because that's where he pointed for her to sit. Monica took the seat to the right; Roberto sat one seat down from Monica, while Enrique sat one down from Rayleigh.

Rayleigh looked around to see an assortment of snacks had been made. There were cookies of various flavors, all kinds of fruit: strawberries, grapes, sliced apples and pineapple and more. Plus, some finger sandwiches. There were even a few cakes and pies.

"I hear from some of my associates that you are quite the handful, Rayleigh." Verone said making conversation once everyone had fixed their plates.

Rayleigh smirked as she bit into an apple slice. "Well that all depends. I can be nice, but I can be mean; just like any other human being. Truth is I have my way of doing things and I never have clued any one into all the details, it makes for bad business. Don't you agree?"

"Yes I do, but the 'my way or the highway' approach doesn't really work unless you can back up the threat." Carter replied as he leaned back into his chair to get a better look at Rayleigh.

"Not my style. Threats piss me off and make me want to screw someone over. My reputation is what keeps people around for a job, no matter how much of an asshole I am on any particular day. People want to be associated with the best of the best. And I am the best of the best when it comes to street racing." Rayleigh answered. "Plus it doesn't hurt that I have a job at the hottest garage in Miami."

"I suppose that is true. You will need to be more careful now though. After all you now have a job as the personal driver of the 'King of Miami.' Some people will try and befriend you because of it." Carter said while holding Rayleigh's gaze.

"You know you sure do like to beat around the bush. Why don't you just come out and ask the questions you are dying to ask?! I promise I'll be honest." Rayleigh said coolly. She was getting tired of their little back and forth. Carter was fishing and she hated when people tried that.

"Fine. You three go and finish up what I need you to finish. Come with me Rayleigh. Let's take a walk on the beach; there aren't any ants out by the water." Carter stood up directing the other three to go disappear while he talked with his new employee. As they made their way down to the sand, they took their shoes and socks off and made for a walk close to the edge of the water, but far enough away not to get caught by the waves. "Sorry for the fishing, but there are ears in the house. I don't want to give them more info than they already have. They have been trying to pin me for eleven and a half months, but they can't put two and two together, not even with an informant on the inside."

"What do you mean informant?" Rayleigh stopped. She didn't need this shit. Brian was about to be here any day now and she didn't need any more heat on them than necessary.

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Keep your eyes on Monica. She is not on our side." As if on cue, Monica came into view waving and yelling for Carter. "Let's head back. Tomorrow be here at noon, I have a meeting I need to go to at three. We can go eat dinner beforehand that way we can discuss everything freely without the misses over hearing." Carter said as they made their way back up the small incline.

"Is there any particular car you want me to drive or clothes to wear?" Rayleigh asked as they made it to where Monica was standing.

"You will be driving one of my cars. I know I'm paranoid, but it's yours to tinker with. As far as clothes goes, business casual will work for you. I need you to look professional, but not over the top." Carter replied. "Enrique will show you out. See you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodbye." Rayleigh said as she followed Enrique back out of the compound. She just knew this new job was going to be a bigger headache than necessary.

* * *

Noon came way too soon for Rayleigh the next day. She had stayed up half the night trying to figure out just how she was going to keep Brian out of trouble, and she only had 12 days left to figure it out. She had decided to drive her Nissan 240SX, it was one of the two cars Verone already knew she had. If Verone knew her cars, then so did Monica; and if Monica knew what she drove so did the feds, which would make it easier for them to track her back to Brian; that just was not going to happen.

She pulled up to the compound where Roberto had told for her to drive through to the garage and park. Her car would be safe there until she returned with Mr. Verone later. Rayleigh had decided to wear black slacks with a blue fitted t-shirt under her white short-sleeve leather jacket. She had in small studded earrings and her watch and her bracelets on each wrist just like at the race. She had decided to wear plan black flats with her outfit; they would keep it more casual. She decided to wear her wavy hair in a half up, half down do.

When she stepped out of her car, Enrique was waiting there with Carter. She saw Carter check his watch then do a once over on her. "I'm glad you understood what I meant yesterday about how to dress. I wish more people could pick up on what I say more often." Carter smirked.

Rayleigh could easily tell he was talking about Monica, especially if that all white baggy and revealing outfit she wore yesterday meant anything. "I don't like dressing up. So this is as business as it will ever get." Rayleigh said looking around the garage. She wondered which one she would be driving. There was an Escalade, a Porsche, and a Ferrari in the garage. Any of the three she wouldn't mind driving, but they weren't exactly her cup of tea.

As if reading her thoughts, Verone spoke up. "The car you will be driving should be showing up any minute. I had it _detailed _before being delivered." The emphasis on detailed didn't help Rayleigh figure out what he did to the car; it could be anything from making it race able to being tank proof.

Monica stepped out of the door and brought Carter a cell phone. "Don't forget your phone, dear." She said as she threw one arm around his shoulder and leaned her head on the other one from behind.

"I bought a new one. That one kept messing up and beeping during calls." Verone said coldly, shrugging her off of him.

"Which car do you plan to drive to day?" Monica said as she stepped beside him and leaned into his side, unphased by being shrugged off seconds before.

"The new car I just bought a week ago. It is being delivered now." Carter said slightly annoyed.

"Honey, you didn't tell me you bought a new car. Is it that new Ferrari you've been wanting?" Monica asked as she ran her fingers over his exposed chest.

Carter really hated the outfit he had decided to wear that day. He wore it to impress Rayleigh but Monica was the one who seemed to be enjoying it. He had on a tan suit with a navy blue button up under the blazer. He had left the top four buttons unbutton so you could see most of his chest. "No, it is a more sensible car to be driven around in." Carter said as he pushed her fingers away and took a step away from her.

Rayleigh had been watching in amusement. It seemed like her new boss didn't really like his two-timing girlfriend anymore. She wondered if any of it was real because it seemed like he knew Monica was a fed the whole time she had been around. When he pushed her away and let his mask slip for a second showing how annoyed he really was she couldn't help but giggle. She covered it up with a cough, which caused a real coughing fit, when the three of them looked at her.

"Are you alright?" Monica feigned concern, but her eyes told Rayleigh she knew what really happened.

"Yea, I'm fine. I have allergies and they must be acting up around all of your flowers." Rayleigh covered with only a half lie. She did have allergies, but allergy season had already come and gone for the year.

"Oh, you poor thing! Hopefully you won't have to spend too much time around here then. There are flowers everywhere." Monica said trying to sound helpful and concerned.

"I won't be. My job is to drive Carter around, not babysit him at his own house." Rayleigh replied smirking. She hoped Monica picked up on the double meaning she had put behind it and with the way her eyes widened then narrowed, the message got through.

Before Monica could make a retort, a delivery truck pulled up. Rayleigh watched as Verone went over the paperwork with the delivery guy while Roberto backed the car out of the truck. It was a 2013 white Ford Taurus. Carter had told Monica to go and fetch money for the delivery guy. While she was gone, Carter walked over to her while she was doing a once over on the car.

"There's nothing special about it. It's all factory parts. Well except for the bullet proof glass and padding for the doors I had put in, of course." Verone said as Rayleigh finished going over the outside of the car.

Rayleigh looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, but before she could ask the question she heard Monica come back with a small bag of money. "Here you go dear." Carter took the money and gave it to the delivery man.

Carter tossed her the keys as he walked back to the car. "Let's go." Rayleigh climbed into the driver's seat as Verone climbed into the back of the car, but stayed on the passenger's side so he could have a full view of Rayleigh. Rayleigh started the car when there was a tap on Verone's window, so she hit the button to roll down his window.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you to this meeting?" Monica asked sweetly.

"Yes, I'm sure. You will not be needed for this one." Carter replied.

"Okay. Well, be safe sweetheart. I'll see you when you get back." Monica replied trying to not sound hurt.

"Yeah whatever." Carter rolled the window up. "Can we go now?" He asked once the window was all the way up.

"Whatever you want sweetheart." Rayleigh said as she tried to hide her laughter, but failed once she looked up in the rearview mirror and seen Carter's face. If looks could kill, Rayleigh would be dead and buried, three times over.

"I'm so glad you think my situation with her is funny." Carter coldly replied. He told her to head towards an upscale café type restaurant.

"You made your own bed _dear _so you have to lay in it." Rayleigh said as she got onto the highway heading towards the restaurant.

"You have no idea what you are talking about. She assumes she is my girlfriend, but I have never and will never think of her as such. She is merely a pawn, and a horrible one at that." Verone growled out. The rest of the ride was quiet. In fact neither said another word until they had placed their orders.

* * *

"So your girlfriend is a cop, huh." Rayleigh said once the waiter was out of ear shot. They had been sat in a corner table in the back of the restaurant.

"Not just a cop, but a customs agent. She and her boss are trying to get promotions by catching me, but needless to say, they have no clue how. Well, they have one idea, but it's not a very good one." Carter said.

"What's their plan?" Rayleigh asked.

Carter waited for the waiter to leave after bringing them their drinks. "Catch me with my money. I have a feeling they will try to get to you now. Especially after all that dirt Monica was able to dig up on you. A brother who is a former cop and on the run; sounds perfect to make a deal with: one evil for another evil."

"I'm not stupid. Even if they did offer the deal, I wouldn't take it. Having the King of Miami and a number of cartels looking for my brother and me is not a risk I'm willing to take especially when they would probably just screw us over." Rayleigh replied honestly.

Carter was surprised to say the least. Most people would answer the same way Rayleigh just did, but he could tell she was being completely honest. "So you would choose me over your brother if you were forced to take the deal?" He was fishing again, but he wanted to know her motives.

"No. I'd but a bullet between your eyes in a second if it would save my brother. However, I don't like screwing people over. If I was forced, I would tell you and start coming up with a plan that got all of our asses out safe and sound."

"Why take the job in the first place? Tej says you have plenty of money, which I know is true. Unless you spent all that money you made in Texas already." Carter said pinning her with his eyes.

Rayleigh didn't even try to hide her surprise. "No I haven't spent it all. I always keep 75% of the money I win or earn in an emergency stash. Never know when you have to skip town and cash speaks louder than anything. But how did you know? Not even the local cops knew I was running money for the Sanchez cartel."

"I know the family." Carter said dismissively. "I will make a deal with you though. I will always honestly answer your questions, if you will always honestly answer mine. We will be spending a lot of time together from now on. So, how about it?" Carter asked.

"Careful there, you're starting to sound like we're dating, but I'll take the deal anyway." Rayleigh answered. They shared a smirk.

They continued to talk over their food once it was delivered. Carter reassured her that she would still be able to race, and she promised to always show up whenever he called. She learned that while she was with him, Enrique and Roberto would be keeping an eye on Monica. Carter had told Monica that he could handle himself, but things were getting too heated and he preferred her to have the protection. They continued to talk and share stories until it was time to leave.

* * *

They arrived at Pearl right at three o'clock. "Best place to have business, a club during the day. No one else is around and the police never bug them because of the music. Our meeting should be here by now." Carter said as he led her inside. "Just stand off to the side and try to look busy. He gets a little rattled if he thinks someone is eavesdropping."

The meeting was going on an hour and a half. Rayleigh had taken a seat at the bar facing the VIP section where the men had decided to sit. She was getting antsy. The other man's bodyguards were acting weird. None of the four men had even thrown a glance her way in over an hour, so she decided to sneak around behind the men to see what was going on.

"No, Verone that will not work. I will not ship my money in a box to my clients." The man was yelling.

"Calm down. I own the shipping yard that it will be going out of, nothing will happen." Carter replied coolly. "If you do not like the idea that has already been cleared with your 'client' then I suggest you call and tell them you plan to keep their money; but you know what that means." Carter added as he leaned back and smirked.

"That's it Verone. I will not stand here and let you make a fool of me. This is the last time you or that damn cartel threatens me!" The man yelled as he jumped up.

Rayleigh could see from her hiding spot behind a curtain that separated the VIP and dance floor, the bodyguards go for their weapons. They hadn't seen her get close because it was still a little dark, it is a club after all; even with all the lights on, there are still more shadows than areas of light. Rayleigh moved quickly and quietly. She grabbed the gun from the guard closer to her and pointed it towards the other guard. The angle made the guard pull the trigger and shoot his partner. Rayleigh then chopped the guy in the throat causing him to bend down to catch his breath. She grabbed his throat with her thumb and index finger and squeezed. Within five seconds the man had passed out because she had blocked the blood flow to the brain. She turned to see that Carter had knocked out the man he was talking with.

"I didn't know you could fight. Maybe I should pay you extra for body guard protection too." Carter smirked.

As they walked out of the club, Carter pulled out his phone and called Enrique and Roberto to come clean up their mess. The three men weren't dead, but the two bodyguards would deliver the three to the cartel. Carter had more important things to deal with than threats from some half ass wannabe drug dealer.

* * *

The next two weeks went by smoothly. Once word got out about Verone's new kick ass driver, less and less people tried to fuck with him at his meetings. Rayleigh would drive him to one or two meetings during the day then they would go to the races together. Rayleigh had only raced twice since getting the job as Verone's personal driver, but she wasn't complaining. She had to be at Verone's house everyday by ten, but most of the time his meetings weren't until after lunch, and she always stayed until seven at night. So she spent most of her free time in his pool or surfing in front of his house. He even joined her a few times when she was lying out beside the pool.

All the extra quality time the two were spending together was making them closer. They had come to think of each other as excellent friends, but the budding relationship was grating on Monica's nerves. She needed to put an end to this and soon. She would just have to tell Markham about Rayleigh's brother. She had overheard Rayleigh tell Carter that Brian would be here any day now, and turning them into moles like her would win her back Carter. She wouldn't lose her golden goose just yet. She wanted his money and that promotion. She deserved it, but she needed to buy her time and strike when the timing would be perfect.

* * *

Rayleigh couldn't believe her luck. Carter gave her all day Friday and Saturday off. He had some important business to take care of that he needed Enrique and Roberto to help him handle. Which meant they were probably going to torture or kill someone, but Rayleigh didn't care because Brian had just called. He was five minutes from the warehouse.

She got into her Pathfinder and made her way towards the warehouse. She figured the cops were just looking for a reason to pull her over nowadays since she took the job with Carter, so she made sure to keep a low profile. That's why she always went to the warehouse to swap out vehicles after a race or spending the day with Carter. Her other cars were flashy but her Pathfinder blends in well to the surrounding traffic, so long as she follows the proper traffic laws.

She arrived at the warehouse to find a white car sitting out front parked mostly in the shadows. She knew it was Brian because she could see someone in the passenger's seat, but no one in the driver's seat; which meant that it was an import so the driver's side would be opposite of an American car.

Rayleigh climbed from her car and made her way over to the white car when the door opened and Brian stepped out. Rayleigh ran to him and threw her arms around him. "God, Frost, I missed you so much!" Rayleigh happily spoke into his shoulder.

"I missed you too Ray." Brian whispered into her hair. It had been a long time since they had spent so much time apart. Even though Rayleigh had went to college in Texas, with the extra money she made she had been able to fly home every month for a weekend. They had never gone as long as three months without seeing each other.

They just held onto each other for a few more moments before they pulled away. "So, why did I have to meet you here instead of the houseboat?" Brian asked as she went to pull up the garage door to the warehouse.

"I'll tell you once we are inside. I think we both have a lot to explain to each other. I know I have a lot of stuff I need to tell you." Rayleigh said. They both pulled their cars into the dark warehouse. Rayleigh made her way over to the lights. After they were turned on Brian noticed there was only one car that was covered.

"Hey why does this one have a cover over it and the others don't? I mean it would make more sense to cover the Lambo instead of this." Brian said as he stood beside the car.

"That's 'cause I was hiding it from you. The car is yours so go ahead pull the cover off. The keys are under the visor." Rayleigh said as she leaned onto the Civic that was parked by the car Brian was investigating.

Brian jerked the cover off with a gasp; under the cover was a 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR. The car Brian has always wanted. The car was silver with blue racing strips down the middle of the car and on the sides of the car as well.

Rayleigh watched him for a half hour devour the car. He checked over the paint work and the outside of the car to under the hood, and then finally he climbed in the car. He noticed the three huge NOS tanks in his passenger's seat. "Why don't you take it for a quick spin around the block? Just to see how she runs." Rayleigh advised. She knew Brian wouldn't be getting any sleep until he had driven that car.

"Okay." Brian shut the door and was off. Rayleigh didn't expect him back ten minutes later. She figured he would be out all night, so when he did show back up so soon she quickly shut the door behind him and turned all the outside lights off. "Cops. It was like they were waiting for me." Brian explained.

"Damn. Get in the Pathfinder. We'll just head to the boathouse and get some sleep their before we talk."

They scrambled to get into the Pathfinder. Rayleigh drove and Brian hid in the backseat. Rayleigh didn't bother taking the back roads back to the boat. She knew there had to be cops waiting to stop and question anyone who were unlucky enough to take those roads at night. Seems like Monica had finally decided to start making her move; but Rayleigh had more important things to deal with, like getting Brian settled first. Looks like she would be calling Tej for a favor in the morning; the quickest way to get Brian settled would be to throw him face first into a race, and that is exactly what Ray planned to do the next night.

* * *

**Word Count: 4,269**

**Next time the story will start to flow more linear with the movie**


	4. Chapter 4: Talks, Fired, & A Date?

**_words in italics are thoughts**_

* * *

Rayleigh woke up to the smell of pancakes and coffee the next morning. She rolled over to see Brian standing over a griddle flipping the pancakes. Since the houseboat wasn't that big, she had just added another twin bed to the main living quarters. Her bed was against the back wall where she would have a good view of the front entrance to the boat. She had placed Brian's bed on the other side of the boat against the wall on the opposite side so he would have a view of the sunroof in the living quarters and the bathroom door since there is a sunroof in there too.

There was another room past the bathroom but Rayleigh just set it up as a closet since it wasn't that big. It was just big enough for a twin bed and a small dresser. She had hung racks all the way around the small space to hang up clothes on and place shoes on. Under the racks were two small dressers; one for her and one for Brian.

The bathroom wasn't huge but it also wasn't tiny either. It had a nice size tub along with a small stand alone shower with glass doors. The sink was small and looked like one you would find in a public bathroom; no counters top to it what so ever. The bathroom also housed a toilet with a rail to hang a towel on. The bathroom was set up so that the sink was right as you walked into the room with the sunroof over it. Then on the back wall was the tub then to the side of it was the toilet then behind the door was the shower. Overall it was a decent sized bathroom, even if all the stuff inside was only big enough to house one person at a time.

The kitchen and dining room were basically part of the bed room too. The table set in the middle of the room, right in the diagonal of their beds. The stove top and bar made up the wall on Rayleigh side of the boat, while the pantry and sink were on the wall on Brian's side of the boat.

* * *

Rayleigh got out of bed and stretched, making an approved sound as her bones popped. Even though she was thankful for the secrecy staying on a houseboat gave, she really missed her flat back in Texas.

"I see you've finally decided to grace me with your presence this morning." Brian said in a condensing tone.

"I'm sorry my sleep schedule kept the majesty waiting on this fine day." Rayleigh replied with mock sincerity in her voice.

Brian laughed. "Just poor me some orange juice and we'll be square." He replied as he made to take up the pancakes.

Rayleigh grabbed two glasses and filled one with orange juice and the other with milk. She set them down on the table and grabbed two plates, two forks, and the syrup and set those on the table also.

Brian poured them each a cup of coffee because they both always drunk a cup of coffee, or occasionally green tea, before eating breakfast. It was just something they did, everyone has their weird quirks right? He set Rayleigh's cup in front of her and then took his seat. "So, what is it you wanted to tell me last night before the cops showed up?" Brian started. Knowing his sister, it's going to be something he really didn't approve of, but how can he tell her how he felt about whatever it is when he was on the run because he couldn't turn the girl he was pretty sure he had fallen in love with into the cops?!

"Well, let's see where should I start? Well I'm pretty sure you're going to think it's worse than what I was doing in Texas. Have you ever heard of Carter Verone, or the King of Miami?" Rayleigh asked taking a sip of her coffee.

"No I've never heard of him. Why?" Brian asked already not liking where this was headed.

"Well, long story short. He asked Tej for a list of ten drivers that were easy to work with and had great business sense. He then went on to ask for me personally. So, when I got the call I went and I won the interview race. Now here's where the problem starts. His _girlfriend_, "Rayleigh started using air quotes around the word girlfriend, " or that is what she fancies herself as anyway, is a customs agent. He is going to have another race interview coming up for openings to drive money he has laundered to a specific location. I will lead the team of three since he trusts me. He knows about you too and your situation; that is the only reason he has told me what he plans to do. He even offered to get you out of the country to a non-extradition country if the need or want arises." Rayleigh finished.

"Like hell I'm going to leave my baby sister here to fend off the feds with some criminal mastermind wannabe. That's not going to happen." Brian started.

"And if you don't take the offer and are caught that translates straight to life in prison with the list of charges attached to your warrant. Besides, you are only ten minutes older than me dear brother."Rayleigh finished with an air of haughtiness that would have made Verone proud.

"I'm not going to argue with you over this point. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, if we ever get to it." Brian said but he wanted to lighten the mood. "So, El Diablo, how do I go about getting an invite to a race?"

* * *

They finished their breakfast in silence, got dressed, and then Rayleigh took him to Tej's garage to meet everyone and set him up to race. Around lunch Carter called, he needed her to come to a client's meeting with him. Apparently this was a very influential client that wanted to meet this impressive racer/chauffeur personally. Rayleigh left but only because she saw that Brian was in good hands; he was even on his way to getting a job at the garage since Rayleigh didn't really work there except when specifically asked for by big name clients.

Once Rayleigh left, Tej could see that Brian didn't like the idea of Rayleigh going to meet this guy on her own. "You don't have to worry, I'm pretty sure Verone wants more than what is in your sister's pants." Tej said trying to make Brian relax, "even if she can't see it herself."

"What do you mean?" Brian asked as he tinkered with a NOS system under a Mazda that Jimmy was having trouble hooking up.

"I mean that I think Mr. Miami wants to put a ring on it and kill anyone who even glances at what's his. Most of us that have known him for a while can tell he is obsessed with her, even if he is trying to hide it because of the _attention _he is currently receiving." Tej explained. "So stop worrying about her and tell us how you ended up here. Diablo would never tell us. She just kept smiling when asked."

"Well, long story short. I was a cop that did undercover work because I wanted my detective shield so badly. Then this huge federal case fell into my lap and they got me on it by telling me I could have my shield if I could close the case. So I went undercover, got in with the most influential crew in LA, then fell in love with the boss's little sister. Then to make matters worse, after dating her for around six months, I find out that they are the ones behind the big rig jacking not the crew I was trying to get. So, some stuff happened and I told them who I was, let the boss man get away, put enough stuff in my notes and around town to put enough doubt around the Torretto gang and point to the Trans then I got the hell out of Dodge." Brian explained as he and Jimmy finally got the NOS system hooked up.

"But apparently not enough to lead to the arrests of the Trans I'm guessing?" Tej questioned.

"No, but they don't have enough stuff on the Torretto's either. I burned my notes I made on them after I started dating the sister. They know exactly what happened because the truck driver saw one of the guy's face and mine for that matter because I had to jump on the rig to save his dumbass, but all they have is that driver. They don't have any other evidence on them, but they need to hand to blame off to someone and I fit the bill perfectly." Brian stated dropping down to sit in a chair now that the car was finished.

"Well you're better off here. I can tell Rayleigh's extremely protective of you. Hell, she calls you Frost around everyone but us three because she knows we won't betray her. Now, why don't we get you a suit so you can get to work? Since your sister got her new job everyone has been overworked; so you get to take her place since you know a car as well as she does." Tej said as he walked off to the office to get Rayleigh's old suit she had gave him back. Brian wasn't very much bigger than her, and the suit was way to huge for Rayleigh's small frame so it should fit Brian just right or even be a little bit loose on him.

* * *

Rayleigh had gone back to the houseboat to change. Carter had told her to dress more business formal for this meeting, so she had put on a black shirt with sleeves that come to the elbow that was skin tight on and tucked that into a flowy, pleated teal skirt that stopped mid-thigh and she wore black suede bootie high heels that had ruffles on the front where the shoelaces would go. She pulled her hair back into a high pony tail with a slight bump in it. She put her diamond stud earrings in, put on her watch and put on some mascara with a light brown eye shadow to bring out her eyes, but couldn't really be seen.

She made it to the compound thirty minutes after Carter called her. He came out to meet her dressed in a black suit and tie. _Definitely different than what he normally wears. The suit isn't laid back at all. _She made her way over to the Taurus to get in when Carter stopped her. "We'll take the Ferrari. This guy is my biggest client. He has money and likes to flaunt it so we must also."

"You make it sound as if he said jump, you would ask how high." Rayleigh replied walking over to the Ferrari.

"Well in a way I would. He is a dangerous man. I'd do about anything to stay on his good side, but thankfully he doesn't ask for much. Last time I met with him, he made me fire my cook because he over cooked his steak. Even though I'm pretty sure the man said medium not medium rare." Carter replied after he got into the car.

This was new for Rayleigh. She wasn't used to Carter being beside her as she drove. Tej thought she was clueless but she knew Carter liked her, and the truth was the more time she spent with him the more she seemed to like him back; however, the situations they were both end did not spell for a good relationship at the moment so she would continue to play clueless as long as it helped her brother.

* * *

The ride to the meeting was spent in silence. Carter told her to drive to one of his clubs, Club BlackList. It was like Pearl, but the more seeder people were the ones that partied there. Carter didn't like coming to this club very often, but thankfully it was before lunch so only the stocking and cleaning staff was there. He wouldn't have to deal with some of the more perverse and dangerous patrons that frequent the club.

Mr. Logan Vaako was a man not many could cross and get away with it. He had money and liked to show it. He wasn't above torture and killing, but there are a few things he did not like. Trafficking of anything living, be it humans or animals, mistreatment of women, and the one thing he could not stand cops, no he did not have a problem with authority; well if he was honest; it wasn't all cops he hated. Just the crooked good cops; the ones that weren't on anyone's payroll and didn't break the law, but they would do anything to close a case, even if the person was innocent. That royally pissed him off.

He watched as Carter opened the door for the beautiful woman that was with him. Surely this couldn't be the infamous El Diablo. The one that dominated the street and could double as a bodyguard when needed, no, she was to small and sweet looking. Plus she was smiling; she wasn't even trying to put on a mask! Unless that was her mask, and if that was then she definitely earned her reputation. He would know that was how his wife handled business, all jokes so people would under estimate her. _A very fitting match for one Carter Verone._

* * *

Carter saw him as soon as he walked thru the door. Immaculately dressed in a tailored suit with dark brown hair styled to be swept back and dark brown eyes that with one look could pierce the soul that would be how one would describe Logan Vaako.

"Good morning Mr. Vaako." Carter said as he shook the now standing man's hand. "This is the woman you requested to meet, Rayleigh O'Conner."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Vaako." Rayleigh replied taking his hand to shake it, but was surprise his he just turned it over, pulled it to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"I assure you Miss O'Conner, the pleasure is all mine and please call me Vaako. I have heard so much about you from all of my sources." Vaako replied. He saw the look Carter gave to him and smirked as he made to sit back down. "Please have a seat. This will not take long at all, I just have found out some information that you have been keeping from me, and after I looked further I decided something should be done about it."

"And what could that be, Mr. Vaako?" Carter replied.

"Well I have heard quite the rumors surrounding that _thing _that calls her your girlfriend." Vaako stated. "I honestly don't know why you let her get away with that."

"Simply because he keeps the feds away, they think they have someone that is warming my bed so they do not feel the need to do much more than rely on her statements even if anything she hears or sees is false." Carter replied.

"Very well; however, I have heard things from my sources in the department of Customs and you need to find a reason to fire her. They are planning to use this girl and her brother against you. And my dear, it doesn't bode well for the three of you."

"I already know that. My brother got back last night and he took the car I had built for him for a spin and when he got near the boathouse the cops were waiting to ambush him, but he manage to make a clean get a way without being spotted." Rayleigh replied. She saw Carter giving her a look. "I was going to tell you when I saw you but this came up and I didn't want to distract you over something you can't help with." Rayleigh stated.

"Ah, you are a very smart girl. I approve of your employment for as long as it will last anyway. Carter will you go fetch me a glass of wine. I'm rather parched." Vaako stated in a clear dismissal.

Carter got up to go get the wine but not before casting a worried look at Rayleigh who just smiled sweetly back.

"You are aware that he likes you my dear, maybe even loves you." Vaako asked once Verone was out of earshot.

"Yes I know, but the current situation spells disaster. It will be easier to maneuver without worrying about a love life at the moment. Besides, my brother comes first."

"No my dear, a connection like that would actually benefit you. Trust me. And Carter would never settle for your brother getting hurt since he means too much to you." Vaako finished in a hush tone as Carter come back.

Vaako down the glass in one go. "Now that you have agreed to fire Miss Monica, then I shall take my leave. Have a wonderful day and it was nice meeting you Miss Diablo. Goodbye Verone." Vaako said then he made his way out of the club.

* * *

"Well, he certainly gets to the point without any small talk, doesn't he?" Rayleigh asked.

"Yes, and I should have known this is why he wanted a meeting. I could tell by the words he said on the phone. I have texted Monica and told her she was fired and to be out of the compound by tonight when we return. I also told Roberto and Enrique so she will be gone when we get back." Carter replied as he walked out the door. "Give me the keys. I would like to drive."

"Where are we going?" Rayleigh asked as she handed over the keys.

"Well since I don't have to worry about the misses anymore, I thought I would take you on a proper first date." Carter replied smirking as he held the car door open for her.

"And where exactly would this proper date be located?" Rayleigh asked as she got into the car.

"It would be located in a variety of places my dear. I can give you the world and I plan to prove that point and this date if you would allow me." Carter said before he shut the door.

Once Carter was in the car, Rayleigh buckled up then looked at Carter. He was finishing buckling up then looked up to meet her eyes. "I guess I can allow you that, as long as you don't have anything corny planned." Rayleigh said then turned to look out the window.

"I am a grown man not some simpering teenage boy. Nothing I do is ever corny. Trust me the places I have in mind you will absolutely love. And we shall start with lunch."

"This is why I needed to dress up like this isn't it?" Rayleigh asked. At Carter's unconvincing confused look she replied. "You said you knew what this meeting was about, so you had this all planned out." She accused.

"Guilty." Was all Carter said before he shot the car out into traffic.

* * *

**Words: 3,221**

*Hopefully now that I'm back into a rhythm in school, I'll be able to start updating more frequently. However, I make no promises. Being a senior in college sucks, you pay all that money for classes then are told everything on the test will be from the book. What is the point of attending class if I have to read a giant ass text book to pass the class?*


	5. Chapter 5: Serious Talks & Blue Lights

Rayleigh was trying not to let it show how impressed she was with Carter's driving skills. The black Farrahei raced down the streets, swerving in on out of traffic passing the other cars like they were standing still. Apparently, Carter wanted to make sure Rayleigh knew that he could drive himself if necessary. "I'm assuming you have no qualms about my driving since I have seen you race." Carter asked her.

"No, I don't have any. Actually I'm surprised you know the difference between the R and the D on the shifter." Rayleigh replied while looking out the window. It was true, she was surprised that he knew the difference between the letters and numbers on the shifter, but what surprised her more was that he was actually pretty good at shifting. He wasn't even close to almost stripping the gears. _Thank God. There's no telling how much a transmission for this thing cost. _She thought.

"You are so funny Ray. Of course I know the difference. Did you really think that I had all these expensive toys lying around and didn't know how to drive them?" Carter asked his voice laced with amusement.

"Well honestly, yes I did. Why else would you need a personal driver than the fact you don't know how to drive your own cars?" Rayleigh asked.

Carter could tell she was serious and he wouldn't tell her the truth that he only hired her to get to know her more, but he couldn't lie to her either. "Do you expect me to be able to fit Roberto and Enrique in this car? And what about the Porsche? Certainly you don't think all three of us could fit in these two cars?" Carter asked.

Rayleigh laughed at that. "You know you have the Escalade, and I know that when you drive that tank, that either Roberto or Enrique is the one driving. So excuse me for thinking that you didn't know how to even turn the ignition."

Carter finally pulled into a restaurant. Rayleigh recognized it as the same little restaurant they went to the first time she had to drive him to a meeting. Rayleigh went to get out of the car but was stopped by Carter's grabbing her arm. She raised her eyebrow at him, but he just gave her a small smile and got out of the car. She sat back in the seat and watched as Carter made his way around to open her door. "Being a gentleman today?" Rayleigh joked as he held out his hand to help her out of the car.

"I'm always a gentleman," was Carter's reply. He shut the door then put an arm around her waist to lead her into the small café. It was around 11am so the place had a nice crowd compared to last time they came a little after lunch and the place was almost deserted. The hostess led them to the same table as last, a corner table in the back facing the door.

"Here you are Mr. Verone. I'm Cassidy. Your waitress today will be Taylor. I hope you enjoy your lunch." The hostess said and she handed out the menus and disappeared back to the front.

"What are you going to get?" Carter asked trying to make conversation.

"Probably a salad, I had just eaten breakfast when you called so I'm not that hungry." Rayleigh replied, "What about you?"

"I think I'm going to get one of their sandwiches. I have planned to take you to a great restaurant later tonight, so I don't want to get anything to big." Carter replied.

"So, when exactly will this impromptu date be finished?" Rayleigh asked. She didn't want to come off like she didn't like him, but Brian has a race later that night and he is going to be in the first heat; so his race will start around ten.

"Relax, I already talked to Tej. We will make your brother's little race." Carter smirked over his menu at Rayleigh's surprised look then looked back down at the menu when her face went from shocked to offend.

"I don't think calling a $2,500 buy in a little race. Just because that's pocket change to you…" Rayleigh started until Carter cut her off.

"And from what I've managed to get out of Tej, that's just pocket change for you too. Besides if you are risking your own reputation to get him into the race, then he is almost as good as you."

"He is as good as me, but I'm pretty sure I'm a little crazier than him though. He should win this race since he has his racing skills and my car genius." Rayleigh replied smugly.

"What do you mean by your car genius?" Carter asked as he placed his menu down to get a good look at her.

"I built the car he will race tonight. I knew he wouldn't have anything race able, well to my standards, after free falling through the country. So I bought him an old Skyline, he's always wanted one, and rebuild the entire thing. I mean I had nearly three months and all the parts I could ever want at my disposal. Though I hope he doesn't blow himself up with the three bottles of NOS I put in it." Rayleigh finished looking off thinking.

"Why did you put three bottles in his car?" Carter asked. He had seen her car, and by three bottles she meant the huge ones. He had never heard of someone using three large ones. Hell she only used two.

"If I can drive with that many so can Frost. Besides, you haven't seen the inside of my Lambo. It's running off three big bottles then two series of three little bottles too." At Carter's look, a mixture of confusion, fury, and awe, she continued, "I mean did you really think that I was wasting my college education?"

"No, I actually forgot that you graduated from college. Considering that I only finished high school before taking over my parents' empire so they could retire off. See my mother didn't want to have any part of my father's business and I was all too eager at eighteen to take over for my father so they could move back to where I was born and my mother grew up." Carter said.

"Where was that?" Rayleigh asked. It was a date so she wanted to get to know Carter more if he was serious about this, whatever this was, between them.

"Buenos Aires, Argentina. My mother and father are both white, but my mother's parents moved their when she was still a little girl so that is home to her. My father naturally was visiting there on a business trip when they met, and the rest was history. I mean we Verone men are used to getting everything we want, even if we have to work extra hard for it." Carter said giving her _and-I-mean-you _look.

The waitress came by and they placed their orders. Rayleigh didn't like where this conversation was headed but she needed to have this talk with him, no matter the consequences.

"That sounds like a man that doesn't know when to quit or when the prize isn't worth it." Rayleigh answered pointedly. She knew that Vaako had told her that having Carter at her side as a lover would help things but she just couldn't see how she could protect two people. Brian would always come first. He was the only family that she had ever known; how could she turn her back on him or not do everything possible for him if she was worrying over someone else? Sure they both could more than take care of themselves, but Rayleigh was a control freak when it came to the people she cared about.

"Oh the prize is definitely worth the wait, and I definitely understand the hesitation." Carter replied drawing her out of her thoughts. "Do you really think that I would ask you to turn your back on your brother? I knew about him before I even gave Monica your information. I understand that you don't want anything serious now, but at least let me be there for you to lean on. I want to make sure you are both safe." Carter went on after he seen that he had her full attention. "There's more that you need to know that I just found out a couple days ago too. Brian was already on the feds radar, he was there long before I even heard about the infamous El Diablo. According to my source, the feds know I have something to do with street racers, so they were naturally they had undercover agents keeping an ear to the ground. They took pictures and apparently one of the leads worked on the LA case with your brother, so he knew who you were instantly. I can keep you two safe if you just trust me." Carter urged.

"Why? You have known me for less than a month. You couldn't possibly care enough about me to want to help me that bad not to mention Brian, who you have never met. Getting laid isn't worth that." Rayleigh said.

"Do you really think I would go through all this just to have a one night stand with you? The first time I saw you I wanted to know who you were. Trust me I want forever. I'm too old to be chasing skirts. I'm twenty-five Ray. I want kids, a family. I want someone to stand beside me through the good and bad. Someone to back me up and trusts me to have their back also. I'm not asking for this to happen now or tomorrow or even next week. But let us at least try. We both deserve happiness. And like I told you earlier, I can give you the world, all you have to do is ask." Carter tried.

"I have a hard time trusting people, and I don't know if I can give you what you are asking for. The only family I have ever had has been Brian. I can't back up two people at the same time and until he is safe, I don't think I could back anyone but him." Rayleigh said looking anywhere but Carter.

"I'm not asking you to back me now, let me back the two of you. Brian may be an ex-cop on the run, but I've been playing this game my whole life. Let me show you their playbook to benefit you." When Rayleigh continued to stare at the table he said, "at least let me stand by your side as a friend, if nothing more. Let me earn your trust then go from there was all of us are safe." He finished gently laying his hand over both of hers.

"I can't promise anything, but I can try. Besides you've never seen me throw a fit. I am a professional at making people run away from me." Rayleigh said. She lifted her eyes to his and at the open and understanding look on his face gave him a small smile.

"That's all I ask is for you to try. I won't leave your side even if you order me to. Besides over the past weeks I've rather come to like you and figure you out just a little. That's actually when I was absolutely sure I wanted to take this to the next level was when you could stand toe to toe with me on everything. I want to take care of you and give you everything and protect you, seeing as how I'm a bit over protective, but I want someone who can survive long enough for me to find them, if I ever fail." Carter said taking hold of one of her hands.

"I'm no damsel in distress. I can save myself you know." Rayleigh said with a pout.

"I know and being completely honest that is a big turn on." Carter said with a smirk as he watched the blush as it painted her face red.

The waitress chose that moment to deliver their food so thankfully Rayleigh was saved from having to give a reply. Once the waitress was gone, Carter started a much calmer conversation about cars. He didn't know much about them, but he loved watching Rayleigh's face light up as she talked about the next project she wanted to take up. She wanted to tinker with the Taurus more. If the cops were going to be closing in then she wanted to take the proper steps. Like getting rid of as much electronics as possible, she hadn't had a run in with the new toys the police had, but enough of the racers had, and the stories weren't pretty.

The quick lunch Carter had planned turned into a three hour affair, but he wouldn't complain. Talking between them was so easy. They flowed from topic to topic smoothly.

"So, where are we headed now?" Rayleigh asked once they were back in the Farrahei.

"I figured we could catch an earlier movie, and then grab dinner if you are hungry." Carter replied. Rayleigh agreed so that's what they did.

Rayleigh had to persuade him to watch _The Conjuring _since he wasn't a big fan of scary movies, but with the promise of a good night kiss if he managed to make it through the movie was enough incentive. Neither one was sure who initiated the hand holding a few minutes into the movie, but both were thankful for it.

After the movie, they ended up grabbing dinner at a local *Japanese Hibachi restaurant. By the time they were finished eating it was close to eight o'clock. Carter convinced Rayleigh to go dancing with him at a small dance club. It was mostly filled with college kids who didn't party too much or teenagers considering how earlier it was but they made the most of it. Once Carter told Rayleigh about the time he watched her dance at Inferno, she went and request Pony by Ginuwine, the song he was talking about, then proceeded to give him a better dance than she had given the bartender.

They only stayed at the club for an hour; they did have to make the race at ten after all. They managed to arrive before most of the racers; actually the only racer on the line was Brian. Rayleigh went over to talk to him leaving Carter by himself. Carter didn't want to cause a distraction before the race was over.

Soon it was time for Brian to pull his car over to the start line and Carter watched with amusement as his car spit out steam. "So was that your design or his?" Carter asked the woman sitting on the hood of his car.

Rayleigh looked at him from her spot. She was leaned back on her elbows watching as the final touches were put on. She knew Tej had something up his sleeve because he was never this anxious. "Mine of course, but he likes the showiness of it." She replied as she sat up. "Look their starting."

Just as she finished saying that the cars were off. "So about that good night kiss." Carter said as he turned to stand in between her legs.

"Our date is over already. Do you plan to leave me stranded here to flag my brother down for a ride home?" Rayleigh asked with fake horror.

"No, of course not, but it's been a while since I kissed someone and I want to make sure I get it right so a little practice couldn't hurt." Carter said as he leaned in.

"Practice; I've definitely heard better excuses." Rayleigh said as she kissed him.

It was a gently, slow kiss, just lips moving against lips that only lasted a few seconds. As Carter pulled back, he smiled at the blush on Rayleigh's face. They stared at each other a few minutes until they heard Tej yell something about a bridge.

"There's no way he's done what I think he's done."Rayleigh said as she grabbed Carter's hand and led him over a few feet so they could see the bridge. Sure enough the bridge was rising. They managed to get to a better spot to watch just as two cars were seen flying over. "That would be my brother on top." Rayleigh laughed.

Carter spun her around to hug her. "See I told you nothing to worry about." He leaned down and captured her lips in a bruising kiss. This time it was a full make out session. They pulled back for to breathe after a few moments. "Let's go congratulate your brother." Carter said as he made to pull her towards the winning car, but the sight she saw made her blood run cold.

Standing their waving at Brian was none other than Monica Fuentes. She looked like a total race bunny, tight pants, tight midriff shirt, ugly hair, and too much make-up. Rayleigh watched as Monica turned and began walking off really fast. "Carter Monica's here."Rayleigh managed to say. Carter stopped and looked at her just as all hell broke loose.

**Words: 2,874**


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